Parliamentary questions

Special Educational Needs Services Provision

Jonathan O'Brien

304. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has plans in place to ensure that professionals trained in applied behavioural analysis are consulted on policy decisions that impact on the implementation of applied behaviour analysis and its monitoring to ensure that international standards are maintained. [30840/13]

Special Educational Needs Services Provision

Jonathan O'Brien

305. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will investigate the cost benefit analyses that exist in relation to the implementation of applied behaviour analysis; and if his Department has plans to involve parents in training programmes in applied behaviour analysis, either at the point of diagnosis or later. [30841/13]

School Enrolments

Jonathan O'Brien

91. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children at a school (details supplied) in County Cork in each of the years 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. [29445/13]

Special Educational Needs Staffing

Jonathan O'Brien

99. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will list, in tabular form, the schools in counties Donegal and Leitrim that have yet to receive their full allocation of resource hours for the 2013-14 academic year; the date on which these schools will receive their allocation of resource hours; and if he will give assurances that his Department will not implement cuts to the allocation of resource hours for these schools. [29524/13]

Special Educational Needs Services Provision

Jonathan O'Brien

200. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health the reason significant cuts have been made in multi-disciplinary supports for a school (details supplied) in County Cork; the reason these cuts are being made when demand for services are increasing on an annual basis as a result of the rise in the student population at this school; if he will review these cuts in service provision with a view to reversing the downgrading of service provision at the school; if he will provide assurances that there will not be additional losses of services at this school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29446/13]

Special Educational Needs Services Provision

Jonathan O'Brien

201. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health if he will respond to the view that the progressing disability plan for the integrated services model is fundamentally flawed because it is not child centred and the needs of children have not been assessed prior to the plan being put in place. [29447/13]

Third Level Participation

Jonathan O'Brien

2. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Taoiseach the numbers of students who are currently studying or hold a degree based on the socio-economic groups as defined in the most recent census; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51336/12]

School Accommodation

Jonathan O'Brien

108. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will list in tabular form the schools that are to have their prefabs replaced with permanent classrooms as part of the €15 million prefab replacement scheme in 2013/14. [28625/13]

Student Grant Scheme Expenditure

Jonathan O'Brien

152. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide in tabular form a breakdown of the running costs of Student Universal Support Ireland from its inception to the end of May 2012; and if he will provide a breakdown of these figures and the way they compare to the projected running costs of SUSI, as originally envisaged by his Department when awarding the tender to City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee. [29305/13]

Special Educational Needs Expenditure

Jonathan O'Brien

500. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health if he will provide, in tabular form, the range of multi-disciplinary supports provided at a school (details supplied) in County Cork for each of the years 2010, 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013; if he will provide a breakdown of same by discipline, WTE and hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29448/13]

Special Educational Needs Expenditure

Jonathan O'Brien

501. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health if he will review the multi-disciplinary supports provided at a school (details supplied) in County Cork to ensure appropriate services to meet the needs of the pupils; if he will provide assurances that no further cuts will be made in this area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29449/13]

Crime Prevention

Jonathan O'Brien

16. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to explicitly recognise stalking as a ground for applying for a safety order. [28240/13]

Crime Prevention

Jonathan O'Brien

27. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to introduce a specific offence of stalking as has been the case in Scotland and Victoria. [28239/13]

Local Government Reform

Jonathan O'Brien

34. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if a decision has been made on the powers that will be transferred from city and county managers to elected councillors; and when the relevant legislation will be drafted. [28069/13]

NAMA Social Housing Provision

Jonathan O'Brien

67. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of units from the National Asset Management Agency housing stock that have been taken under control by local authorities; and the number that are occupied at this moment in time. [27057/13]

Telecommunications Services Provision

Jonathan O'Brien

76. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the steps taken to ensure that project Kelvin is marketed and developed on an all Ireland basis for the benefit of all the communities along the Border. [24459/13]

Property Taxation Data

Jonathan O'Brien

152. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Finance the number of households that have registered their compliance for payment of the property tax by the extended deadline, which ended at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, 29 May 2013. [27246/13]

School Staffing

Jonathan O'Brien

237. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of concessionary mainstream posts he intends to withdraw from schools in the Dublin Central constituency for the 2013/2014 academic year. [26761/13]

Schools Building Projects Status

Jonathan O'Brien

264. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide details of his Department’s assessment of the suitability of the site proposed for a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow. [27002/13]

Special Educational Needs Services Provision

Jonathan O'Brien

266. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 103 of 28 March 2013, the reason training and supervision in ABA is optional for the teachers of children with autism and is not obligatory, as recommended in the Special Education Support Service: Information on Autism document. [26989/13]

Student Grant Scheme Administration

Jonathan O'Brien

269. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the difficulties being experienced by students trying to access information on third level grants; the reason they are being re-directed from the Students Universal Support Ireland website to studentfinance.ie which has only general information and nothing about specific course applications and when will the SUSI website be fully operational. [27028/13]

Student Grant Scheme Administration

Jonathan O'Brien

270. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will have representatives from Student Universal Support Ireland contact school guidance counsellors to discuss the 2013-2014 grant application process; the reason a guidebook that was published last year has not been re-issued; and his views on whether it is acceptable that guidance counsellors who are tasked with providing advice to students are being curtailed from doing so by the lack of information being provided by the DES. [27029/13]

Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge

Jonathan O'Brien

20. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Jonathan O'Brien den Aire Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta cathain a bhí an cruinniú deireanach ag an gCoiste Feidhmiúcháin atá freagrach as an Straitéis Fiche Bliain don Ghaeilge, cé chomh minic a tháinig siad le chéile le bliain anuas, cén dul chun cinn atá déanta ag an gcoiste sin; cén teanga oibre a úsáidtear sna cruinnithe [26256/13]

Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge

Jonathan O'Brien

29. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Jonathan O'Brien den Aire Ealaíon, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta an bhfuil sé sásta, i gcomhthéacs na Straitéise 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge, 2010-2030, struchtúr ardleibhéil a chur ar bun idir na húdaráis agus eagraíochtaí pobail na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta, trína bhféadfar moltaí a dhéanamh sula gcuirfear ar aghaidh chuig na hAirí cuí iad. [26258/13]

Departmental Staff Remuneration

Jonathan O'Brien

24. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount of savings that would be made if salaries to personnel in her Department were capped at €100,000. [25727/13]

National Internship Scheme Administration

Jonathan O'Brien

50. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Social Protection the remedial action that is taken when companies are found to be abusing the JobBridge scheme; and her plans to stop displacement in employment as a result of the JobBridge scheme. [25726/13]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Jonathan O'Brien

43. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will give consideration to amending the home tuition grant for children with autism attending preschool when there is an option so that 20 hours of 1:1 tuition can be allocated 11.25 hours of 1:1 tuition and 13.75 hours of group tuition per week. [25642/13]

Further Education and Training Programmes Provision

Jonathan O'Brien

46. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the reduction in teaching allocation at a college (details supplied) in Dublin 10 will result in the loss of specialised award winning courses; if he will recognise the unique place of the college in Irish education by providing an enhanced allocation to allow the college to develop new programmes; the reason the students of the college need to rely on UK certification; and the reason students attending the college are neither eligible for the same grants as other institutions nor Erasmus and Leonardo funding. [25643/13]

School Curriculum

Jonathan O'Brien

58. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will expand on comments he made recently when speaking at Tullamore College, County Offaly, when he said that science would be compulsory if there were laboratories in each of the State's 723 post primary schools; and the measures he intends to take to address this matter. [25398/13]

Teachers' Remuneration

Jonathan O'Brien

77. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide in tabular form the numbers of teachers working casual hours or as substitutes who are being paid a rate given to unqualified people, meaning they are paid a daily rate of €115 instead of €159 and where others are being paid the old salary scale instead of the revised scale approved in autumn 2012. [25399/13]

Teachers' Remuneration

Jonathan O'Brien

251. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the efforts being made to secure all outstanding payments owed to teachers who were contracted by the ISM International School, Tripoli, Libya (details supplied); if he will instruct the State Examinations Commission to firmly request that ISM honour the payments of teacher contracts to be paid prior to commencement of the leaving certificate examinations on 5 June 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25415/13]

Irish Language

Jonathan O'Brien

252. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will confirm if press releases will be released simultaneously in Irish and in English as was outlined in his Department's first language scheme; if his Department will provide a dedicated telephone service to deal with inquiries in Irish; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25416/13]

School Staffing

Jonathan O'Brien

253. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the basis on which he intends to withdraw a teaching post from a school (details supplied) in Dublin 3 for the 2013-14 academic year in view of the fact that the school will have in excess of the required 175 pupils to retain their current level of teaching posts. [25417/13]

Irish Language

Jonathan O'Brien

254. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason the second language scheme for his Department, under section 11 of the Official Languages Act 2003, was not renewed until recently, particularly in view of the fact that the previous scheme has expired since 2008; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25418/13]

Irish Language

Jonathan O'Brien

255. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason his Department has in its second language scheme under section 11 of the Official Languages Act 2003, not implemented some of the commitments which were given in the first language scheme, as regards the services which would be available to the public in Irish; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25419/13]

Re-interment of Volunteers

Jonathan O'Brien

535. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will instruct his Department to help locate the remains of the patriot Thomas Kent on the grounds of Cork Prison; if he will work with the Kent family in re-interring any located remains in a more appropriate resting place and that this be done in time for the centenary commemorations of the Easter Rising. [25656/13]

Accident and Emergency Department Waiting Times

Jonathan O'Brien

646. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health the reason a minor (details supplied) in County Cork was left in the emergency department of the Mercy Hospital in Cork from 3 p.m. on Friday, 10 May 2013, until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, 14 May 2013; the reason this person has still not been allocated to a child and adolescent appropriate mental health service unit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25334/13]

Job Initiatives

Jonathan O'Brien

20. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the steps taken to create employment to encourage the return of recent emigrants; and the number of jobs created under such schemes. [24466/13]

Emigration Data

Jonathan O'Brien

52. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation his views on the recent report by the National Youth Council entitled Time to go - the Experience and Impact of Emigration on Ireland's Youth. [24467/13]

Mortgage Resolution Processes

Jonathan O'Brien

100. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Finance if, when banks increase the standard variable mortgage rate on a mortgage that is 90 days or more in arrears, they are automatically assessed to not have provided a sustainable solution to the distressed borrower in the context of the target for banks to have offered at least 20% of their distressed mortgage borrowers sustainable solutions by the end of June 2013. [23953/13]

Banking Sector Remuneration

Jonathan O'Brien

117. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Finance the responses he has received from banks following the Mercer report; the proposals each bank has made to reduce its remuneration by 6-10% including a breakdown of their proposals regarding cuts to each of those earning less than €100,000, of those earning between €100,000 and €200,000, of those earning between €200,000 and €300,000 and of those earning more than €300,000. [23954/13]

Post-Leaving Certificate Courses

Jonathan O'Brien

309. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills what will happen to BTEC HND, higher level 6, NQF, courses and the two honours degree programmes, level 8 NQF, which account for over 60% of all programmes delivered in Ballyfermot College, Dublin, should specialised teaching staff be lost to the college as a result of the proposed change to the pupil teacher ratio. [23646/13]

Post-Leaving Certificate Courses

Jonathan O'Brien

310. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on whether Ballyfermot College, Dublin, which has a world renowned reputation for developing highly specialised and innovative courses at the right level and duration for specified industries, can survive if continually restrained from developing and delivering the types of courses that it has derived so much success from. [23647/13]

Student Grant Scheme Eligibility

Jonathan O'Brien

311. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason higher education students are ineligible for receiving maintenance grants and not afforded the same rights and privileges as students taking higher education courses in other colleges in the 26 counties. [23648/13]

Post-Leaving Certificate Courses

Jonathan O'Brien

312. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will respond to fears that highly successful specialised courses that have been developed and run by Ballyfermot College, Dublin, will be jeopardised as a result of the college losing 10-12% of its teaching staff because of the proposed increase to the pupil teacher ratio. [23649/13]

Schools Inspections

Jonathan O'Brien

328. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the annual budget spent on employing school inspectors at primary and post-primary level; if he will list in tabular form the number of inspectors employed by his Department on an annual basis; and if he will provide a breakdown of their salary scales. [24015/13]

Schools Inspections

Jonathan O'Brien

329. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a breakdown of his Department's annual spend to maintain the school inspectorate system at primary and post primary level. [24016/13]

Academic Year

Jonathan O'Brien

330. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if consideration has been given to increasing the academic year to a third semester; and the potential savings to be accrued from implementing such a measure. [24017/13]

Teachers' Remuneration

Jonathan O'Brien

331. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the savings that would be made if an annual salary cap of €100,000 were applied to the wages of all teaching staff, third level lecturers and all other personnel employed by his Department. [24018/13]

Third Level Fees

Jonathan O'Brien

332. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the total amount spent by the State in subsidising third level fees for the 2012-13 academic year. [24019/13]